The Reluctant Witness
by gailann78
Summary: A twelve-year-old girl is the only witness to the murder of an FBI agent, but she refuses to cooperate with the FBI. WARNING: This story contains the disciplinary spanking of a minor child.
1. Chapter 1

Reluctant Witness

Summary: A twelve-year-old girl is the only witness to the murder of an FBI agent, but she refuses to cooperate with the FBI. WARNING: This story contains the disciplinary spanking of a minor child.

WARNING: Contains reference to past child abuse and child neglect. And reference to the past attempted rape of a minor child.

NOTE: This story is set before the final episode of season one.

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Peter, Jones, Lauren, and Neal were sitting in a surveillance van outside a fancy apartment building.

"You know he killed Agent Grant." Neal said. "And you know he pulled off that heist at the Jewelry store. So why don't you just go in there and arrest Harris?"

"We don't have proof." Peter said. "Without proof, we can't get a search or arrest warrant."

"The government complicates things." Neal said, shaking his head.

The White Collar unit had been investigating Garret Harris for the past two months, but had not found solid evidence against him. They believed he was guilty of forgery, robbery, arson, and murder. One of the victims was believed to be Agent Thomas Grant, who was found shot to death three days before. After the discovery of Grant's body, they started round the clock surveillance on Harris.

All four people looked at the back doors to the van in confusion when they heard a loud knock. Someone knocked again, and Peter opened the door. A man wearing a delivery uniform and holding a fruit basket was standing there.

"Can I help you?" Peter asked.

"I have a delivery for an Agent Peter Burke." The man said, holding out the basket.

"Who from?" Peter wanted to know.

"There's a card inside." The man said.

"Did someone give you this to give to me?"

"Um, no." The delivery man was beginning to look nervous. Now he had four people staring at him, and three of them had guns in their holsters. "The order was left last night on our web site, paid for with a credit card."

"Whose name was on the credit card?" Peter asked.

"You'll have to ask my boss that, I just make the deliveries."

"Tell your boss that I will be there in a little while and I want everything on the order."

"Yes Sir."

Peter shut the door and laid the basket on the table by the computers. He took the card out and read it out loud. "Dear Agent Burke: Hope you like the little gift. A man of your age shouldn't eat all those donuts. Hugs and kisses, your watched pot."

"Damit." Peter said, glaring at Neal. "Harris knows we're here and that we're watching him."

"Why are you looking at me?" Neal asked.

"Does a bottle of whine ring a bell?"

"It was never proven that I sent that whine." Neal said, with a smile. When Peter had him under surveillance, before he arrested him, Neal had sent the surveillance team a bottle of very expensive whine. "I have dibs on that big apple on top."

"It could be poisoned." Jones said.

"On second thought, I'm full."

"You could have waited until after he ate it to tell him that." Lauren said.

"Jones, Lauren stay here." Peter said. "Neal, with me."

"To the flower shop?" Neal asked as he grabbed his suite jacket and put it on.

"Yeah. Jones, have someone take the basket to the lab."

Jones nodded, and Peter and Neal left the van and got into Peter's car.

"I Wonder how long ago he noticed we were there." Neal said, as Peter pulled into traffic.

"When I arrest him, I'll ask him."

The rest of the ride to flower shop was made in silence, once there, both men got out of the car and went into the shop and up to the counter.

"How can I help you this beautiful morning?" The man behind the counter cheerfully asked.

"Agent Peter Burke." Peter said, showing his ID.

"Ah, yes." The man said, his smile vanishing. "Tony relayed your message." He handed Peter a piece of paper.

"This says that the fruit basket was purchased with my credit card." Peter said, staring at the paper.

"Yes it was. I assure you that we take every precaution to prevent this short of thing, whoever made the purchase had all of the required information that we ask for on our website."

"What kind of information?" Peter wanted to know.

"Name, birthrate, card number, expiration date, and the three digit code on the back of the card."

Peter pulled his wallet out and quickly searched it, pulling out the card that was used to make the order.

"I've still got the card." He said looking at Neal. "He must have hacked into my financial records."

"I didn't think Harris was very computer literate." Neal said.

"He's not." Peter replied. "But he enough money to hire someone who is."

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Three hours later, Peter and Neal were in Peter's office when Peter received a phone call. He answered it and listened for a moment. "Thanks Jones." He said, before hanging up.

"Jones find out what computer the order was placed on?" Neal asked.

"Yeah." Peter said, looking slightly confused. "But it doesn't make a lot of sense. Harris has enough money to hire someone smart enough to cover his tracks and fix it so we couldn't find out what computer was used. But the cyber squad was able to trace it pretty easily. The order was made on a computer at a cyber café two blocks from Harris' apartment. My financials were pulled up on the same computer about half an hour before the order for the fruit basket was made"

"Want to go check it out?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The two men left the office and headed towards the cyber café. When they got there, they noticed that the place was pretty busy. They walked over to the help desk and saw a young man in his early twenties.

"Agent Burke, FBI." Peter said, showing his badge. "I need to know who was on this computer at eight o'clock yesterday evening." He handed the man a piece of paper with the computer's serial number on it.

The man typed on his computer for a moment then said, "That would be the computer at station seven. According to this, Max was signed in at that time."

"Is he a regular here?" Peter asked.

"Yes she is." The man said with a smile. "Max is here a lot."

"What can you tell us about this woman?"

"I can tell you that she's not a woman, well not yet anyway."

"Sex change?" Neal asked.

The man laughed and said, "No, she's only twelve."

"A twelve-year-old was signed into that computer?" Peter asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but if you want to, you can look at the security tapes."

"Where are they?"

The man lead them into a backroom and pulled the security tapes from the time that the order was made. They saw a young girl sitting at the computer, typing.

"You said she's a regular." Peter said.

"Sure is, been coming in almost everyday for the past few months. Nice kid, she helps out a lot when someone has problems with the computers. Kid's really good."

"When was the last time she was in?" Neal asked.

"Last night."

"Got a last name?" Peter asked.

"Harris."

"Harris?" Peter and Neal both asked at the same time, looking at each other.

"Yeah."

"What do you know about her?"

"Not much, she told me her Dad passed away and that she was living with her Uncle Garret."

"Damn." Peter said.

The three men walked back up front and the clerk pointed towards a young girl who had just sat down at a computer. "There's Max." He said. Then before they could stop him, he shouted out. "Hey Max, come here a minute. These guys want to talk to you."

She looked up, saw Peter and Neal walking towards her, then jumped to her feet and ran out the door. The two men started to chase her. They followed her onto the crowded sidewalk and quickly lost her in the mob of people.

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Later that evening, Peter and Neal were once again in Peter's office. They had just received a file on the young girl.

"Maxine Francis Harris." Peter said, looking at the file. "Her Mom died when she was four, car accident. Her Father was a con artist, he was killed by a mark when she was ten. Garret Harris petitioned the courts for custody of her, but was denied because of his criminal record. Maxine was placed in the custody of the State of New York. Seven months ago, the counselor at the group home she was staying at tried to rape her. He ripped off her shirt and had her pined to the floor kissing her, when someone came in and stopped him. The next day Maxine ran away and had not been heard from since."

"She ran to her Uncle." Neal said.

"Seems so." Peter agreed. "Says here that when Maxine was eleven, just a few months before she ran away, she was arrested for hacking into the New York Police Department's data base. She said she was bored, that was her only defense. She was sentenced to community service since it was her first offence."

"So she is capable of getting your financials and your credit card number." Neal said.

"Yep." Peter stood up. "Come on." He said.

"Where too?" Neal asked, as he followed peter out of the office.

"The group home that Maxine ran from"

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Peter and Neal walked into the Oak Dale Children's Home and was greeted by a middle aged woman with a sour expression.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her voice letting them know that she wasn't interested in actually helping them with anything.

"Agent Peter Burke, this is Neal Caffrey. We have a few questions about a young girl who once lived here, she ran away three months ago."

"Name?" The woman asked.

"Maxine Francis Harris."

The woman's expression grew even more sour. "That child gave us nothing but trouble the entire time she was here. She was rude, disrespectful……."

"So you weren't all that broken up when she was almost raped." Neal said, his voice growing hard. Peter gave him a surprised look, normally it took a lot to get Neal angry.

"Of course I was saddened by the news." The woman quickly said. "But that child was nothing but trouble."

"Do you know where she might go?" Peter asked. "Anyone she trusted?"

"She trusted no one."

"Was there someone here she was close too?" Peter asked.

"No, she pretty much stayed to herself."

"Thank you for your time." Peter and Neal left the building, each lost in thought.

They got into Peter's car and he pulled back into traffic, finally Neal broke the silence.

"What now?"

"Not sure." Peter admitted.

"Are we going to Harris' to see if Maxine is there?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Harris has a temper, that we know. If he blames Maxine for us being there, then he may hurt her after we leave."

"We take her with us when we leave." Neal said.

"If we see her. We don't have enough to get a search warrant, he can claim he doesn't know where she is."

"So we just wait, while that animal has Maxine." Neal said, not liking the situation at all.

"For right now." Peter said, not liking it any better then Neal. "I'm pulling the surveillance team, I don't want Harris to get too nervous. Not until we know Maxine if safely away from him."

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TBC

What did you think? I would to read your feedback. I promise to update often, I know kinda where this story is heading.


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Peter sat at the dining room table re-reading everything he had on Harris and on Maxine. But no matter how many times he read it, he could not figure out his next move.

"It's after midnight, Honey." Elizabeth said, as she entered the room and stood behind her husband. "What's wrong?" She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"My case got a whole lot more complicated today." Peter said.

"How?"

"The man we're trying to arrest has a niece, a twelve-year-old kid. He doesn't have legal custody of her, but we believe she is living with him."

"Poor kid." Elizabeth said. She kissed Peter's head, then sat down in the chair across from him. "Are you sure her Uncle is guilty?"

"Positive. When we prove it, he's going away for life."

"Does the girl have any other relatives?"

"No, she'll be made a ward of the state. That is if she's not convicted of something."

"What?"

"She illegally obtained my financial records, got my credit card number, and had a fruit basket delivered to the surveillance van."

Elizabeth tried, but failed, to keep a straight face.

"It's not funny, El." Peter told his laughing wife.

"Yes it is." She said, through her laughter.

Peter could not keep the smile from forming on his face. "Okay, maybe a little funny."

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Neal lay in bed, but was no where near sleep. He had been laying there for the past hour, his mind whirling with memories. Finally giving up on sleep, Neal got out of bed and walked over to the large bookcase in the living room. He pulled a small wooden box off of one of the shelves and leaned his back against the bookcase.

Opening the box, he slid to the floor. Then he pulled out a silver locket and chain. It was an old locket, made in the late eighteen hundreds. The chain was a lot newer. Neal opened the locket and smiled slightly at the two pictures inside. One was of a six-year-old Neal. He was smiling at the camera, his two front teeth missing. The other picture was of a young woman in her twenties. She was also smiling.

"I miss you so much, Mom." Neal said, the smile disappearing. He felt hot tears building up in his eyes. "I know how Maxine feels; I know that she probably thinks of Harris as a hero. He's keeping her from going through the child care system again, keeping her from being a throw away kid."

Silent tears started rolling down Neal's cheeks, but he paid them no attention. He just kept staring at the picture of his Mom.

"This case is bringing back old memories, Mom. Most are pretty bad, but some are good. Like the time you took me camping when I was seven. Neal smiled again. "You thought I needed to do some boy things. It took us over an hour to set the tent up, then it fell down during the night." Neal laughed at the memory. "Then we went fishing and you caught a snake, I didn't know you could run that fast."

Neal laughed again and said. "Remember when we saw that bear, you scared it more then it scared us. You screamed and that poor thing took off running. Then I saw that cool looking cat, and you screamed again. It took forever for that smell to wear off, even after the park ranger gave us all of those tomatoes to bath it. I thought it was funny, but you didn't. You kept saying that the tomato juice was going to ruin your hair."

Neal was silent for a few moments. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and full of sadness. "I love you so much, nine years of having a Mother is not enough. When you left me, my whole world caved in. I know it wasn't your fault, even though I blamed you for a while."

The tears started again as he talked. "I just couldn't understand why someone would want to kill you; you never hurt anyone in your entire life. Everyone told me that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that the man got mad because you didn't have any money, so he shot you."

Neal closed his eyes tight and leaned his head back against the book case as silent sobs shook his body. He had tried so hard to block these memories out, and thought that he had succeeded. But now they came flooding back, washing over him. The memories of being told his Mom was dead, memories of being tossed from one group home to another, memories of countless interviews with potential parents, memories of none of those interviews going well, memories of abuse and neglect, and memories of being all alone.

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Maxine stood in the doorway of her Uncle's gym room and watched as he worked out on the punching bag. Garret Harris was a big man, standing just over six feet and two inches tall, and weighing a good two fifty pounds. All muscle.

She couldn't help but notice how much different he looked then her Dad, his only brother. Aaron Harris had only stood five feet and six inches tall, and weighed about one ninety.

Maxine had inherited her Dad's stature, she was a little short for her age and thin. She also inherited his blue eyes and blond hair, although she wore her hair shorter then her Dad had worn his. The young girl's hair was cut short, barely reaching her ears.

Garret looked over at her and smiled. "Thought you were asleep, you were when I came home."

"We need to talk." She said, dreading the conversation but knowing she had to tell him.

"I'm all ears."

Maxine nodded, but didn't move. She knew her Uncle probably wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"Come on Maxi." Garret said, sitting on the bench to a weight machine. "I don't bite."

Maxine walked over and sat beside him, and he draped an arm around her thin shoulders.

"What's on your mind?"

"I screwed up." She said, looking at the floor.

"That only means you're human." Garret said. "Whatever you did, we can fix it. But you have to tell me what it is."

"I sent Agent Burke a fruit basket to the surveillance van, using his own credit card." She said, not able to keep from smirking.

Garret Harris stared at his niece for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Not bad, you have your Dad's sense of humor."

"I used a computer at the cyber café, but Burke must have traced it. Him and Caffrey were at the cyber café, looking for me." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, honey. Did they catch you?"

"No, I ran."

"They still have nothing." Garret smiled, hugging her close to his side. "They have no proof that you are living here, and they don't have enough evidence to search the place for you. You are safe. By the time they prove anything, you and I will be laying on a beach watching the ocean."

"Sounds good." She smiled.

"Come on." Garret said, standing up. "Bed time, you have a busy day tomorrow."

"Why?" She asked.

"Tomorrow, you learn about all of my business, not just part of it. You are old enough to

Become fully involved in our family enterprises."

"Okay."

Garret leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head. "See you in the morning."

"Night, Uncle Garret."

Maxine left the room and Garret walked back over to the punching bag. "You are really starting to piss me off, Burke." He said out loud, as he punched the bag. "Max and I will show you what happens when you mess with a Harris."

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The next morning, Peter and Neal were once again in Peter's office. Neal was unusually quiet; he hadn't spoken over three works in the past hour.

"Why so quiet?" Peter asked.

"Just trying to figure this out." Neal said, without looking up from the paper he was reading.

"You've been reading the same paper for the past fifteen minutes."

"I'm making sure I didn't miss anything." Neal snapped, angrily tossing the paper onto Peter's desk. "You have a problem with that?"

"You get up on the wrong side of the bed?" Peter asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry Peter." Neal sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, look I need some fresh air."

"Okay."

Neal stood up and left the office and Peter watched with concern. He had read Neal's file, he knew that from the ages of nine to fourteen Neal had lived in foster and group homes. He knew that this case, that Maxine, was bringing back painful memories for the younger man.

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Maxine yawned as she climbed out of her Uncle's car. He had woke her up at five o'clock and then driven for seven hours. They were now in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and dirt roads. There was a large worn down two story house and a ram shackled barn standing in front of them.

Two men were standing outside the barn, both were heavily armed.

"Where are we?" The young girl asked.

"Just outside of Milford Virginia." Garret answered.

"Okay, why are we here?"

"Because today you learn how to be a first rate criminal." Garret smiled. "You are pretty good with small time scams and confidences, and I am proud of your accomplishments. But now we broaden your skills."

"Sounds great." Maxine smiled. "Where do we start?"

"The barn, I want to show you something."

They walked into the barn and Maxine was surprised to notice that only the outside looked run down, the inside was fairly new and in great shape. Large containers filled the spacious barn.

Garret walked over to one of the container and shoved the lid off of it, then he reached inside the container and pulled out a vase and handed it to Maxine.

"Not bad." She said, carefully rotating the vase in her hands and looking at it. "It's a Fintilla Original, worth about seventy thousand bucks."

"Very good." Garret smiled. "All of these containers are filled with similar items."

"Got a buyer yet?" Maxine was impressed. She knew that her Uncle was into high end items, but she didn't know the operation was this big.

"Yeah, but we have a few complications."

"What complications?"

"Feds."

"Agent Burke?"

"Among others."

"What's the plan?" Then Max smiled and suggested. "I could book flights to Mexico for him and Caffrey using one of their cards. Then we can drug them and put them on the plane."

"We need something more permanent then that." Harris smiled. "Although that is pretty good."

"Then what's the plan?"

Before her uncle could answer, they heard a scuffle coming from the entrance of the barn. They turned and saw two men dragging a protesting third man between them.

"I am a Federal Agent!" The man in the middle exclaimed.

"What's going on, Uncle Garret?" Max asked, as the two men shoved the agent to the floor at their feet. She saw that the man was bleeding badly from a wound on his forehead. "He's hurt."

She knelt beside the man and noticed that it looked like someone had used his face for a punching bag. "It's okay." She smiled at him, as she used the tail of her tee shirt to wipe away some of the blood. "Are you okay?"

Garret bent over and took his niece by the arm and gently pulled her to her feet.

"What did you do to him?" She demanded of the two men who had dragged him into the barn. She glared at them, despite their large sizes and the guns that were clearly visible. "Two against one is real good odds, chicken shits."

"Maxine." Garret's voice was hard and she shut up and looked at him. "They were following my orders."

"Why?" The young girl was confused. "He's really hurt."

"That was the plan." The agent said. "Look Harris, we both know what's coming. Send her away, she doesn't need to see this."

"See what?" Maxine asked.

"Yes she does." Harris said, ignoring his niece's question. "Max here is now my apprentice one day she will take over the business. It's time she learnt how."

"She's just a kid." The agent said. "Please let her wait outside."

"No." Garret pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and shot the other man in the chest.

Maxine screamed in surprise, then stared at her uncle in shock. She couldn't believe what she just saw.

"Y…you killed him." She said, her voice high pitched.

"Yes I did." Garret said, as if there was nothing wrong with it. "Agent Phelps was getting close to discovering my dirty secrets. I couldn't let that happen, now could I?"

"B…but you just killed a man in cold blood." The young girl started backing away from the man, her eyes glued to her Uncle.

"You need to calm down, Maxi." Garret's voice was soft and soothing. "I know that was hard to see, the first one always is. But it was necessary, there was no other option. In our line of business, we dispose of anyone who poses a threat to us."

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TBC

I want to thank everyone for the reviews and for the story and author alerts. I really appreciate them. Please let me know what you think about this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Max stood outside the barn, leaning against a tree, and puked. She had never seen someone get killed before, she had never even seen a dead body before in real life.

"You okay?" Her Uncle's voice was soft and held concern, but it made her jump and spin around anyway.

She glared at him, "You just killed someone!" She shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Watch your tone young lady." Garret said, his voice stern. "I will not tolerate disrespectfulness."

"You killed a man and you are lecturing me on being respectful?" Max asked.

"I told you this was a bad idea." A man said, walking over to them. Max had seen him several times before, her uncle had introduced him as Evan Parks.

"Stay out of this." Max snapped. Then she faced her Uncle. "Is that the real reason Burke and his team have you under surveillance? Because you're a cold blooded killer."

Garret reached out and grabbed her upper arm, then he gently but firmly turned her around and landed five hard swats to her jean clad butt. The swats made her yelp and had her eyes slightly watering. The short spanking did the trick, Max stood still and started to calm down some.

"I'm sorry Uncle Garret." She said, softly. "I had no right yelling at you, or insulting you."

"It's okay, Maxi." Garret's voice was soft once again. "I know this is a lot to take it. But time is short, we need to act fast or we stand a chance of losing a lot of money.

"Will anyone get hurt in the con?" She wanted to know.

"We need to take Burke and Caffrey out of the equation." Garret said.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "You can't kill them."

"We need them out of the picture."

"I'll get them out." She said, forming a plan in her head. "Let me handle them, please. Let me do this my way. I promise that they will not bother you or your deal."

"I don't know, Max." Garret said. "This is an important deal, Parks here has possession of counterfeit plates and rag paper. We can make a lot of money here."

"I know what I'm doing." Max assured him. "I will run them ragged, they won't know which way is up. They will not bother you."

"Okay." Garret smiled. "You take care of Burke and Caffrey, and I will take care of the money. But if you fail, then I will step in and handle them my way."

"Understood." The young girl said, relief evident in her voice. She did not want anyone else killed.

"Go and explore the barn." Garret said. "The body's been moved."

"Okay."

She walked back into the barn and started going through the crates of artifacts. But her mind was not on the vases and statues; it was on what she had seen. She could not believe that her uncle was a cold blooded killer, that he could just kill someone without blinking an eye.

She knew she had to stay on her toes dealing with Burke and Caffrey, she couldn't fail. She couldn't let her Uncle kill them.

_**AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA **_

"I don't like this, Harris." Parks said, after Max had walked off. "I have too much riding on this deal to let it be ruined by a kid."

"Don't worry about Max, she'll be okay. She inherited my passion and my temper, she will kill when the time comes. Besides, she can handle Burke and Caffrey without violence. Kid's damn smart."

_**AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA AAA **_

When Peter and Neal made it back to FBI headquarters, Hughes summoned them into the conference room. Jones and Cruz were already there.

"What's up?" Peter asked.

"A thousand pounds of US certified rag paper was stolen." Hughes said.

"How about plates?' Neal wanted to know.

"No, but those are easier to come by then the paper. My guess is that someone already has them."

"Any idea who?" Peter asked.

"Top of the suspect list is Evan Parks, a known associate of Garret Harris. We need Maxine, get her to turn on her……."

"No." Neal said, cutting the older man off.

"Stay out of this Caffrey."

"No, you can not try to force Maxine to turn on her Uncle."

"It's the only option." Hughes said through gritted teeth.

"It's not right!" Neal shouted angrily.

"You have no say in this matter!" Hughes shouted.

"I won't let you do that to her." Neal said his voice low.

"Look Caffrey….." Hughes started, but Neal cut him off.

"You look." Neal said, his voice almost a growl. "To Maxine, her Uncle is a hero. She was a throw away kid, someone no one wanted. But now she has family, she has someone who wants her. You don't know what it feels like to walk through the world feeling all alone. Starting a new school and having the other kids whisper and point. Some of the kids won't play with you because they know you don't have parents, and to them that is just plain weird. Then the other kids won't be your friends because they don't want people calling them weird, or because their parents won't let them."

Neal's voice had turned softer as he spoke. "You don't know what it feels like to sat on the school steps and watch all of the other kids playing and having fun, and knowing that you can't join them. Knowing that you're not welcomed. Or what it feels like to watch parents drop their kids off and give them a hug and tell them to have a good day, and knowing that no one cares if you have a good day or not."

Neal stopped talking for a moment, he could feel hot tears building up behind his eyes and tried to blink them away. His voice was thick with emotion. "I know that Harris is a psychopath that has to be stopped. But Maxine is just a little kid. She knows that without Harris, she'll be thrown back into the same system that let her get almost raped. You can not make her choose, there is no right chose for her. Either chose will destroy her.

If she chooses her Uncle, then more people die, she will blame herself. She will carry that burden with her for the rest of her life, knowing that someone is dead because of her. If she chooses to turn him over, then she'll have to live with the fact that she is responsible for her Uncle being thrown in jail.

I know one day she will have to choose, one day she will have to decide weather or not she wants to follow in his footsteps. But that day is not today. The scars are still too fresh, the wounds too deep. Give her time to get her bearings, time to truly understand that there are options out there."

Everyone in the room was staring at Neal in surprise.

"Alright." Hughes said, "We still need to find Maxine though. Even if Harris isn't a threat to her, Parks is. We need to get her to safety, but we won't question her about her Uncle."

Neal nodded, then left the room in a hurry. He could feel the tears start to roll down his cheeks and did not want anyone to see him cry. Peter was right behind him.

"Hey Neal." Peter called out. "Wait up."

Neal stopped, but did not turn around.

"I need a minute, Peter." Neal said.

"Okay." Peter said. "But remember that I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks."

Peter watched him walk away, then he went back into the conference room. He was really worried about the younger man.

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Neal went to the men's room and splashed cool water on his face, and gained control of his emotions. He looked into the mirror at his reflection.

"Get a grip Neal." He told his reflection. "This is just a case, nothing more. No need to dredge up old memories. The past is the past, this is the present."

Neal grabbed a paper towel and dried his face, then he plastered a smile on his face and walked out of the bathroom.

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The next morning, Peter was walking down the stairs when he heard a knock on the front door. He hurried the rest of the way down and opened the door, there were two police officers standing on the steps.

"Can I help you?" Peter asked.

"We are looking for Peter Burke." One of them said.

"I'm Peter Burke."

"Sir, please turn around and interlock your hands behind your head." The officer said, resting his hand on his gun butt.

"Why?" Peter asked in confusion.

"You are under arrest, now do what I said." The officer took out his cuffs.

"Under what charges?" Peter asked.

"Impersonating a federal agent, grand theft auto, and attempted kidnapping." The officer said. "Now do as I said." His voice turned hard.

"I am a Federal Agent." Peter said, annoyed. "What is the meaning of this?"

The officer pulled his gun and aimed it at Peter. "I will not ask you again."

Peter didn't know if the man had an itchy trigger finger, so he turned around and laced his hands behind his head.

The officer quickly cuffed him, while reading him his rights.

"This is a mistake." Peter said, really mad. "I am an FBI Agent, my id is inside."

"We've heard about that id." The officer said. "Now let's go."

"Peter." Elizabeth said, coming to the door and looking shocked. "What's going on?"

"These idiots are arresting me." Peter said. "Call Hughes, he'll straighten it out."

Elizabeth nodded as she watched her husband being lead away in cuffs.

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Peter was sitting on a cot in a small jail cell, and he was furious. He had been sitting there for over an hour.

"Well well well." A familiar voice said. Peter looked up and saw a smirking Neal and a serious Hughes.

"It's strange seeing you on that side of the bars, Peter." Neal said, enjoying the sight before him. "And all this time I thought you were a law abiding citizen, not a bad boy."

"Did you have to bring him, Sir?" Peter asked Hughes.

An officer came in and opened the cell. "You're free to go Agent Burke, we apologize for the inconvenience."

"Inconvenience?' Peter asked, through gritted teeth. "I…."

"They were doing their job, Peter." Hughes said. "Come on, I'll explain what happened

As the three men walked out of the station, Hughes started talking. "Someone hacked into their computer system and issued a warrant for your arrest. Said that you showed a fake badge to a little girl, then tried to pull her into a van. Some neighbors heard the commotion and started chasing you, your path to the van was blocked. So you stole a car and made your getaway."

"Harris must've put Maxine up to doing it." Peter said, still very mad.

"Doesn't really sound like Harris." Neal said. "He would have just had you killed."

"Caffrey's right." Hughes said. "Something's not right."

They made it to the parking lot and to Hughes car, there was a note under the windshield wiper. Peter's name was wrote on it. He took it and then read it out loud.

"Today was a warning. You were only arrested, but tomorrow I may type in a shoot to kill order. Hugs and kisses Max."

"I am really starting to like this kid." Neal said, laughing.

"It's not funny, Neal." Peter growled.

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TBC I want to thank everyone for the reviews and for the author and story alerts. I promise to have more soon. Please let me know what you think. I love feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

Max walked into the barn and saw a man in his early twenties standing beside one of the crates, then she saw him stuffing a small statue into his pants pocket. The young girl knew that although the item was real small, it was also real expensive. It cost around ten thousand dollars.

The man was a local thug named Benny Fuller, her uncle had hired him to help load and unload the crates. He was about medium height, with a slim build.

"I'd advise putting that back before Uncle Garret catches you." Max said, walking over to him and causing him to jump slightly. "He really hates it when people steal from him."

"Get lost kid." Fuller growled. Then he stuffed another small figurine into his pocket.

"Put it back." Max said, her voice turning hard. "Trust me, you don't want to piss off my Uncle."

"I said to get lost." The man growled again, turning and facing the young girl with a scowl. "Before I make you get lost."

"Oh I'm so scared." She said, in a bored voice.

Fuller lunched forward and tried to backhand her, but she easily ducked and then swept one of her legs forward and knocked both of his legs out from under him. Fuller hit the floor with a thud, then Max kicked him hard in his butt. Fuller jumped to his feet, really mad at her now. He lunged forward again. Max sidestepped and he passed her and smacked into a large crate face first, once again landing in the floor.

"What's going on in here?" Garret asked, as he entered the barn.

"Just a little bet." Max said. "Benny here bet that he could win in a fight against me, looks like he lost the bet." She knew if she told her Uncle the truth, then he would probably kill the man. Luckily, she could lie to anyone very convincingly.

Garret laughed and slapped the younger man on the back. "Never bet against Maxi, kid. You will always lose."

"Yeah." Fuller said, rubbing his sore nose. "I see that." Fuller knew that he had better go along with Max's explanation of what had happened. He knew that Garret Harris was not a man to mess with.

"You two have fun." Garret said, before turning and walking out of the barn.

"Put them back and leave." Max said.

Fuller nodded, then put the two figurines back and left the barn. What Max didn't know was that the man already had several items stashed away a couple miles from the barn.

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That afternoon, Peter and Neal were in Peter's office. Peter's phone rung and he answered it, thanked the collar, then hung up.

"Come on." He told Neal, as he grabbed his suite jacket.

"Where to?" Neal asked, as he followed him.

"Police just picked up a man named Benny Fuller, he has some of the items that we think Garret stole."

The two men left the FBI headquarters and went to a police station a few miles away. They walked up to the desk clerk and Peter identified himself and was escorted to a hallway where they were introduced to a detective named Kramer.

"Fuller must be more then just a street thug." Kramer said. "You came pretty fast."

"Actually." Peter said. "We've never heard of Fuller. We're more interested in the items he had in his procession when you arrested him. They are linked to a current case we are working on."

"He was trying to sell a few weird looking figurines at a pawnshop." Kramer said. "The owner didn't want to buy them, said they were just pieced of glass. Fuller insisted that they were worth a lot of money. They got into an argument that escalated when Fuller pulled a gun. Luckily for the shop owner, an off duty police officer was walking by and saw it. The items that he was trying to sell showed up on a flyer we got from you, so I gave you a call."

"Can we see the items?" Neal asked.

"OF course." The Detective lead them into a small room, the items were laid out on a table.

"Why would you be interested in these?" Kramer asked, as he picked up a small figurine of a peacock. "Looks like the crap that my Grandma used to collect."

"That piece of crap your holding right now is worth about twelve thousand dollars." Neal said.

"What?" Asked a confused Kramer, as he very gently replaced the glass figurine onto the table. "I would pay twelve bucks for it."

"Together I figure all of these are around fifty thousand." Neal said.

"So they are real?" Peter asked.

"Oh yeah."

"Where's Fuller?" Peter asked.

Kramer lead them to an integration room, where Fuller was sitting at a table.

"Feds?" Fuller asked, nervously.

"Agent Burke, this is Neal Caffrey."

"I'm willing to make a deal." Fuller said, quickly. "I will tell you what ever you want to know."

"Is Maxine safe?" Neal asked.

"Deal first." Fuller said.

"Procession of stolen goods with intent to sell." Peter said. "Now talk."

"She's safe." Fuller said. "Damn kid's smarter then her Uncle. It's her that sent you that fruit basket and had you arrested. Her Uncle had nothing to do with it, he left you two to her. And you should be grateful for that, he wanted to kill you. She convinced him to let her keep you occupied, keep you too busy to investigate. If she fells, then he steps in and kills you."

"What happens to Maxine if she fails to keep us occupied?" Peter asked.

"Nothing."

"You sure?" Neal asked.

"Positive, Harris won't hurt her."

"Where is the rest of the stolen goods?" Peter asked.

"An abandoned farm a few hours away, I can draw you a map."

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Max was sitting under an oak tree typing on her laptop computer, when she heard angry shouts coming from the barn.

"Now what?" Max asked, as she stood up and walked over to the noise.

"What happened?" She asked a very mad looking Garret.

"Fuller ripped us off." Garret said. "Around fifty thousand dollars."

"Money or merchandise

"Merchandise."

"That stuff is still on the hot list." Max said.

"I know." Garret agreed. "And as dumb as Fuller is, he's going to try to sell the stuff. We're packing up now."

"Have you got another place to stash this stuff?"

"Yeah."

Max smiled and said, "I'll leave a little surprise for Burke and Caffrey."

Garret also smiled and asked. "What kind of surprise?"

"One that will be rememberable."

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Several FBI agents stormed the abandoned farm, only to find it empty.

"Damn." Peter said. "They must have discovered that Fuller ripped them off and figured we'd come."

Peter and Neal walked into the barn, but it was empty.

"There were heavy crates here." Neal said, as he walked over to a square shaped indention on the floor. He stopped walking and looked at Peter when he heard a loud click.

"Don't move." Peter said.

"Wasn't planning on it." Neal said.

"Don't come it!" Peter shouted, when Jones and Lauren started to enter the barn.

"What's wrong?" Jones asked.

"We heard a click when Neal stepped there." Peter explained, nodding towards the younger man.

"I'll call the bomb squad." Lauren said, as she grabbed her phone.

"Clear the area." Peter ordered Jones. He nodded, then left.

"You should leave too Peter." Neal said, his voice strained.

"Not a chance." Peter replied. "I know some about bombs, I'm going to take a look."

"Thank you."

"It's not for you, I just don't want to have to do all that paperwork involved in you getting blown up."

"I can really feel the love." Neal said, as Peter slowly walked over.

"Just stay very still."

"That you for that advice." Neal rolled his eyes.

Peter knelt beside Neal and looked at the square shaped thin box that the younger man had stepped on.

"What do you see?" Neal asked.

"Give me a minute."

"Take you time." Neal said with sarcasm

"Damn." Peter said, his voice sounding angry.

"What's wrong?" Neal asked, nervously.

"I'm going to kill that little brat." Peter said, standing up.

"Just make sure I don't get killed in the process." Neal said.

Peter placed a hand on Neal's shoulder, then gave a hard shove. The shove sent Neal a few feet backwards, his eyes went extremely wide. But nothing happened. Peter stalked past a surprised Neal and left the barn to tell Lauren to cancel the call to the bomb squad.

"That was not nice, Peter." Neal said, after he found his voice. But he was alone in the barn by that time.

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A couple hours later, Peter and Neal were once again in Peter's car and heading back to New York.

"Maxine had to be the one to set the fake bomb." Neal said. "Harris would have set a real one."

"I know." Peter said. "I know she's trying to save our lives, but she's getting on my nerves."

"Your nerves?" Neal asked. "I'm the one who thought I was going to be blown up."

They sat in silence for a moment, then Neal asked. "What now?"

"I don't know." Peter admitted. "The farm is owned by the government, so there are no leads there."

"I doubt them trying to unload any of the merchandise now." Neal said. "They need another storage place."

"Let's go have another chat with Fuller, maybe he knows of another place."

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A few hours later, Peter and Neal walked into am integration room. A sleepy Fuller was already there.

"You two have any idea what time it is?" Fuller asked with a yawn.

"Where would Harris move his stolen goods too?" Peter asked, ignoring the other man's question.

"They were gone?"

"Yeah, now answer the question."

"Drop the intent to sell." Fuller said. "Just charge me with procession of stolen goods."

"Fine." Peter said.

"There is this old military base about fifty miles from the farm, been abandoned for years. Harris sometimes uses it, they don't know I know about it. I was snooping through Harris's papers one day."

Peter and Neal got more information about the base, then left. They decided to head out there first ting the next morning, both men went home to get some sleep.

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TBC


	5. Chapter 5

I want to think everyone for the nice reviews and for the story and author alerts. I am glad people are enjoying my story.

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Peter walked into his house and called out, "Hey Honey!" But there was no answer. He started up the stairs, then stopped when he heard a loud scream coming from the kitchen. Peter turned and raced down the stairs and into the kitchen, he was surprised to see both El and Satchmo standing on top of the counter.

"What's wrong El?" Peter asked, scanning the room for any possible dangers. He saw a large black snake curled up in a corner.

"Kill it Peter." El said, her voice sounding frantic.

Peter relaxed. "It's just a rat snake, Honey. It won't hurt you." Then he thought about it a second and asked. "What is a rat snake doing here?"

"This was left on the ice box.." El handed him a sheet of paper, her eyes never leaving the snake.

Peter read the letter out loud. "I hope you are an animal lover, Agent Burke. I saw this cute little guy and thought about you. Your dog is very sweet, you should spend more time with him. I took him for a long walk and bought him a new chew toy, well I stole the toy but that's beside the point. I also left you a little present in your bed. P.S. If you harm the snake I will know and next time I will leave a hundred snakes, including a few rattlers. Hugs and kisses, Max"

Peter grabbed a broom and used the handle to move the snake, when he did he noticed that the snake was fake. Elizabeth also noticed it, and she became furious.

"I spent three hours on top of this counter for a fake snake?" She shouted.

"Weren't you suspicious when it didn't move in three hours?" Peter asked, trying his best not to laugh.

"It did move!" El insisted, still angry.

Peter picked it up and said, "It's mechanical. And very realistic." The he gave his wife a questioning look. "Why was Satch up there with you?"

"He was barking at that thing and I didn't want him to get bite."

"Oh."

"Why would she do this?" El asked.

"Actually, she did it partially to save mine and Neal's lives."

"What?"

Peter told her about everything that Fuller had told them and about what had happened at the barn.

"If she's trying to stop you and Neal, she probably left a little surprise for him also."

"Yeah, guess I better warn him." Then Peter smiled. "In a bit." Then the smile faded and he added, "I better go and see what surprise was left on the bed."

He walked upstairs and into their bedroom and stared in shock and anger at the bed. Right in the center of the king size bed was a huge pile of animal poop.

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Neal sat on his sofa, and relaxed. He was about to go take a shower, when his phone rung.

"Hello." He said into the phone.

"Hey, Neal." Peter's voice said. "Did you find any surprises when you got home?"

"What kind of surprises?"

"A fake snake had El standing on the counter top for three hours."

"What?" Neal asked.

"Max left a very real looking fake snake."

"You sure it was Max?"

"She left a note."

Before Neal could respond, he felt something moving across his bare foot. He looked down and saw a large black snake, about five feet long.

"Just found it, Peter. You're right, it sure does look real." Neal picked the snake up, then threw it across the room with a shout when he saw that it was a real snake.

"Neal?" Peter's voice asked.

"Damn kid left a real snake here." Neal said, putting his feet on the couch. Then he saw another snake a few feet away, this one was green. He saw two smaller snakes slithering up his bookcase.

"Peter, this place is full of snakes." He jumped up, grabbed his shoes, then headed for the door. "I hate snakes."

"I'll call animal control." Peter said, hanging up.

Neal went downstairs and met June.

"Hello Neal." She smiled.

"Hey June."

"Here you go." She handed him an envelope.

"What's this?"

"It's the delivery receipt for your new tv and surround sound. The delivery man dropped it off about two hours ago, he had his daughter with him. She was such a sweet child."

"That wasn't a tv and surround sound." Neal said, opening the envelope and pulling out a letter. "It was a lot of snakes."

"Snakes?" June asked confused.

"Yes. Don't worry, Peter is calling animal control."

"I'm assuming this involves a case?"

"Yes."

"Why would he involve his sweet daughter?"

"June, that sweet daughter is the one who did it. The man was probably just someone she hired."

"But she couldn't have been over twelve."

"That's right."

June put her hands on her hips and gave Neal a stern look, "What have you done to cause a little girl to put snakes in your room?"

"I'm helping Peter try to arrest her Uncle for murdering an FBI agent, along with many other crimes."

"Oh." June said sadly. "Poor little girl."

Neal opened the letter and read it. "Hey snake in the grass, thought you might like some company. There are twenty snakes total. Ten black rat snakes, five green grass snakes, and five garter snakes. If any snakes get hurt then I will leave a hundred the next time. By the way, with that dumb hat on you look like a cartoon. Hugs and kisses Max."

"Yeah." Neal said. "Real sweet kid."

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Max stopped her small orange slug bug car and got out. She had just made the long drive from New York to the abandoned military base and was tired, it was almost five in the morning.

She walked into the barracks and over to an empty bunk, her Uncle was sound asleep in the bunk next to her.

"Where have you been?" Parks asked, as he stormed over to her.

"None of your business." She said, laying down.

"This is a crucial deal…." The man started, only to have a pillow thrown at his face.

"Go away, I'm sleepy." Max mumbled.

Parks was furious, but knew he couldn't do anything about her. He needed Harris to make this deal work, and Harris would not like it if he were to slap her. But he planned on making her pay once this was over, even if he had to kill Harris in the process.

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Several FBI agents and Neal parked their vehicles a few miles from the military base and went the rest of the way on foot. They were hiding behind trees and bushes while surveying the area. They saw ten heavily armed men, but no sign of Harris or Max.

"I don't want to move in until we have a visual on the girl." Hughes said.

"There she is." Neal said, nodding toward the young girl.

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Max had woken up and saw that it was almost nine o'clock. She was alone in the barracks. She put her shoes on and went outside.

"Hey John." She walked over to one of the armed men. "Where's Uncle Garret?"

"Him and Parks went to smooth out some wrinkles in the deal, he said to tell you he'd be back soon."

"Ok." She said, then yawned. "I'm going back to bed."

She went back into the barracks, pulled her shoes back off, and laid down.

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"Caffrey." Hughes said. "Do you think you can sneak into that building without being seen?"

"Yeah."

"Go in and make sure the kid stays down. We'll give you three minutes, then we'll move in."

"Ok." Neal quickly and quietly maneuvered his way to the front on the building, then he slipped inside.

"No wonder it took you so long to catch him, Peter." Hughes said. "He's good."

"I know." Peter agreed.

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Neal saw Max asleep on one of the bunks, there was no one else in the room. He walked over and gently took her arm, giving her a small shake. Max opened her eyes, saw Neal and tried to jerk her arm free. But his grip was too strong.

She tried to scream, but Neal anticipated that and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"It's okay, Max." He said, pulling her out of bed. "The place is surrounded by FBI. He lead her over to a sturdy looking desk and pushed her under it, following her. He made sure that his body was in front of hers.

Max tried to break free, but Neal wrapped an arm around her and held her in place.

"Calm down, Honey." He said. "There's going to be shooting, so just stay put."

Max sank her teeth into one of the fingers covering her mouth, causing Neal to jerk his hand away and yell out in pain.

"Do you want a bunch of people to die?" Neal asked, before Max could scream out a warning.

Max closed her mouth and shook her head no.

"I didn't think so."

They heard gunshots from outside and Max tried to climb out from underneath the desk, but Neal held her back.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

"No."

The gunshots stopped and a couple minutes later, the door opened and Peter walked in.

"Everything okay, Neal?"

"It's fine, Peter." Neal climbed out from the desk with the young girl behind him.

"Hello Max." Peter said.

"Look agent Burke." Max said, her voice soft. "I want to explain why I did what I did." She walked over and stood I front of him, her eyes downcast.

"I know why." Peter said. "Fuller told us after he was arrested."

"He probably left out one reason." She said, looking up at him.

"What's that?"

"It was fun." She smiled, then kicked him hard in the groin. Peter grabbed the injured area and sunk to the floor. Max ran past him and out the door, right into Jones.

"Whoa kid." Jones said, grabbing her arms. He looked into the building and saw Peter on his knees, then he looked at Max. "You didn't?"

"Yes she did." Neal said.

"Put her in the back seat of my car." Peter said, his voice winded. He stood up, but was still in pain. "Make sure someone stands guard."

Jones nodded, then walked away holding onto the girl's arm.

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Max sat in the car and watched the activity around her. She had been relieved to learn that no one was killed during the brief shootout.

"Okay, kid." She said softly to herself. "How are you going to get out of this one?"

Then she smiled when she noticed that the agent assigned to watch her was looking in the other direction. She quickly climbed over the seats and got into the floorboard under the steering wheel. Three minutes later, the car roared to life. She quickly sat in the seat, put the car into drive, and hit the gas.

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Peter and Neal were logging evidence when they heard a car start, and a lot of yelling. They looked up and saw Peter's car whiz by.

"My car!" Peter shouted.

They watched as she was heading toward a group of scattering FBI agents, then as she turned her wheels sharply to avoid hitting them. She managed to miss the people, but not the building. The car plowed into the mess hall and didn't stop until it was halfway through.

Peter, Neal, and several others ran into the building. Peter threw the driver's side door open and Max smiled at them.

"Was I speeding officer?"

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TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Peter ran a hand over his face, trying to control his temper. "Get out of my car." He ground out.

"Sure." She said, climbing out. "Think I might have put a small dent in it."

"A small dent?" Peter asked, still trying to control his temper but not succeeding very well.

"Hope you have insurance." She said, flashing a bright smile.

"Jones." Peter said, through gritted teeth. "Get her out of here and keep an eye on her."

"I am usually a great driver." Max told Jones, as Jones lead her out of the building. "But my bug has been customized for me, Burke's car hasn't."

"I think you better chill it for a while." Jones said, as he nodded towards a bench. "Peter's pretty mad."

"So?" She asked, sitting down on the bench. "I love making Feds mad, it's entertaining."

Max sat quietly and watched the activity around her. She watched as Peter walked over to the group of men whom they had as prisoners.

"Whoever gives us Harris, gets a deal."

"I'm right here Bozo." Max said, standing up and walking over. Jones was right behind her.

"Stay out of this." Peter told her, his voice stern. Then he turned back towards the men. "I want Garret Harris."

"He's not here." Max said. Then she looked at the men in cuffs. "My Uncle has never been here, and he hates it when people lie on him."

"Jones get her out of here." Peter said.

Jones nodded, then took the young girl's arm and led her away.

"Who's talking?" He asked the cuffed men. But none of them said anything.

"We will offer protection for anyone who talks." Peter said. But still no one talked.

"Get them out of here." Peter sighed.

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After Peter's car was towed out of the building, he looked at the damage. The front bumper was dented, in several places. And was scratched up. But the lights were still working.

"Back seat." He said to Max, holding the door open.

Max climbed into the back seat and buckled her seatbelt. Peter and Neal got in, then Peter started the car and drove away.

"Where are we going?" Max wanted to know.

"New York, FBI Headquarters." Peter answered.

They rode in silence for several moments, then Max asked. "Are we there yet?"

"Do not start that." Peter growled.

"Start what?" Max asked, with an innocent expression.

Peter didn't answer, and everyone remained silent for about three minutes.

"Are we there yet?" Max asked.

"Knock it off, Maxine." Peter said with a sigh.

"Lean your head back here and I'll knock it off."

Silence for another three minutes.

"Are we there yet?"

"Neal!" Peter barked, glaring at the younger man sitting beside him.

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Garret Harris and Parks watched the activity from a safe distance.

"Now what?" Parks asked angry.

"We continue with the counterfeiting." Harris said. "I do hate to loose the stuff in the barn, but the counterfeit money will make us rich."

"What if they talk?" Parks wanted to know.

"They won't, they know what will happen to them if they do."

"And what about your niece?"

"Max knows what to do, she'll be fine." Harris laughed and added, "Those feds won't know which way is up when Max gets done with them."

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Max looked out the car window, and all she saw were fields. They were still pretty far from any town. They twelve-year-old was trying to think of a way to escape, when she saw a sign advertising a gas station a mile ahead.

"I gotta pee." She said.

"Hold it." Was Peter's answer.

"That's bad on your kidneys."

"So."

"Come on, Burke." Max said. "I really gotta pee."

"Fine, but no shenanigans."

"Who the hell says shenanigans?"

"What the language." Peter ordered, as he pulled into the parking lot of a small gas station.

Peter parked the car and got out, Motioning for Neal to also get out. They all three walked inside and saw the bathroom door.

"Neal." Peter said. "Go outside and find the window to the ladies room, I'll give you a couple minutes, then I'll send Max in."

"You have trust issues." Max said, looking at Peter.

"With you I do."

Neal went outside and after a couple minutes, Peter sent Max into the bathroom.

Max went inside and sighed, she was hoping to slip out through the window. Looking around the small room, she smiled when she saw a vent in the wall above the sink. She quickly climbed onto the sink and pulled out the pocket knife she always carried with her.

Max unscrewed the vent, and carefully pulled it off. She laid the vent on the sink, then pulled herself into the vent. It was a very narrow fit, but she managed to inch herself forward.

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After five minutes, Peter knocked on the door. "Come on Max, hurry up." But he did not get an answer. Peter opened the door and sighed when he saw the vent cover laying on the sink.

"That's the ladies room." Peter turned to see a middle aged man standing there.

"Where dose that vent lead too?" Peter asked him.

"West side of the building. What's it….." Peter ran outside before the man could finish his question.

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Max found the vent cover leading outside and used her knife to pry the cover off. She knew she had to hurry, she figured her disappearance had already been discovered. She climbed through the vent opening and landed on the graveled ground. With a triumphant smile, she turned around. And saw Neal standing in front of her.

"No fair." She said. "You were supposed to be guarding the window."

"Mice work Neal." Peter said, as he rounded the corner. He glared at the young girl. "Back to the car, and no more pit stops."

As they walked back to the car, Peter asked Neal. "How did you know she'd try the vents?"

"It's what I would have done."

They got back into the car and Peter drove away.

"I will not put up with any more stunts like that." Peter said, looking at Max in the mirror. "You're lucky I don't cuff you."

They rode in silence for a few minutes, then "Are we there yet?"

Peter stomped on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt, then he turned around and glared at the young girl. "Knock it off." He said.

"Fine. Sheesh, someone needs a nap."

Peter started driving again. They rode in silence for two hours.

"I'm hungry." Max said.

"So?"

"You have to feed me."

"Says who?"

"Come on Peter." Neal said. "She hasn't had breakfast yet."

"Okay." Peter said. "But we're going through the drive through, I'm not taking any chances on you trying another escape plan."

Peter pulled into a McDonald's drive through. "What do you want?"

"Sausage biscuit, hash brown and orange juice." Max said.

"Sounds good to me." Neal said. "Except I want coffee."

Peter placed the order, then pulled up to the next window. Within a few moment, they were once again on the rode.

"Thank you." Max said, as Neal handed her her food and juice. "And thank you Agent Burke."

"You're welcome." Peter said.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Max smiled when she saw a police car behind them. If they insisted on taking her in, then she was going to make them regret it. She rolled down her window a little, then tossed her empty juice box out.

"Wonder what he wants?" Peter asked, as he saw flashing blue lights behind them. "I'm not speeding."

Peter pulled over to the side of the rode and rolled down his window. A large man wearing a police uniform walked over.

"Is there a problem officer?" Peter asked.

"Please help me!" Max screamed from the back seat. "They kidnapped me!"

The officer immediately pulled his gun out and pointed it at Peter. "Hands on the dash!" He demanded. "You too!" He ordered Neal.

Peter and Neal did as they were told.

"I am an FBI Agent." Peter said. "The child in the back seat is in my custody."

"Please don't listen to them!" Max pleaded. "They have guns, and the passenger has one of the tracking thingies on his ankle. I think they escaped from prison."

"Step out of the car." The officer ordered. "Nice and slowly."

"Do what he says." Peter told Neal. Both men got out of the car.

"I have my ID." Peter said.

"Hand it over, slowly." The officer said, then he looked at Neal. "Step over here." Neal walked over and stood beside Peter.

Peter slowly pulled out his badge and handed it to the officer.

"Turn around and place your hands on the hood." Once again, Peter and Neal did as hey were told. The officer used his walkie talkie and called in Peter's badge number. After a few moments he said. "I'm sorry, Agent Burke. But I couldn't take any chances."

"Understood." Peter said. He was angry, but not at the officer. "You did right."

"You've got you hands full with that one." He nodded towards Max, who was still in the back seat.

"You have no idea." Peter said.

"Have a good day." The officer started to walk off.

"Wait a minute." Peter said. "Why did you pull us over?"

"Littering." The officer said. "The kid threw something out the back window."

Peter and Neal got back into the car and both turned and glared at Max.

"One more stunt." Peter said, his voice stern. "And you will be cuffed, understood?"

Max stuck her tongue out at him.

Peter mumbled under his breath and turned back around. He pulled out into traffic again.

The rest of the ride to New York was uneventful. Peter parked his car in the parking garage, and they went inside the FBI Headquarters.

"I gotta pee." Max said. "For real this time."

"Lauren." Peter called out, seeing the woman a few feet away. "Will you take her to the bathroom, and keep a very close eye on her."

"Sure, Boss." Lauren said.

"She's already tried to escape a bathroom through the vents." Peter warned.

"I'll watch her."

"Thank you. Bring her to my office when you're done."

Lauren lead Max to the bathroom, Peter and Neal went to Peter's office.

"I have a question." Neal said. "Was I that irritating when I kept giving you the slip?"

"And then some." Peter answered.

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TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry it took so long to update. I will have more soon. And I want to thank everyone who reviewed this story, and who left author and story alerts.

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Peter and Neal walked up the stairs, and were met by Hughes. The older man did not look happy.

"None of the men you arrested are talking, they all claim that they have no idea who the main boss is, and that they have never heard of Garret Harris. Try to get Maxine to roll over on Parks, then we can use Parks to get to Harris."

"Okay." Peter said, "But right now, she's not being very cooperative."

"Peter." Lauren said, rushing up the stairs. "She's gone."

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"She said there was a spider in the bathroom stall." Lauren said, looking embarrassed. "When I went in to kill it, she ran out the door. I ordered a lock down."

"So she's still in the building." Neal said. "We just have to find out where."

"I'm sorry." Lauren said.

"Don't worry about it." Peter said. "The kid's good."

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Max walked down the hall with a smile on her face, getting away had been easier then she thought. Now it was time to have some fun.

"Going somewhere?" A voice from behind her asked. Max spun around and saw Jones standing there.

"Yes, to the ladies room." She flashed her best innocent smile. "Must have gotten turned around."

"And Peter just allowed you to go unsupervised?" Jones asked, she could tell that the man wasn't buying her story.

Max saw a door leading to a staircase a few feet away and ran towards it, Jones was right behind her. Max grabbed the door and tried to jerk it open, but it was locked.

"Let's go." Jones said, placing a hand on her thin shoulder. "Who are you supposed to be with?"

"Some chick named Lauren." Max sighed.

"Come on."

Jones led her down the hallway and met up with Peter.

"You found her." The older man said.

"Yeah, claims she went to the ladies room and got lost."

"I am navigationally challenged." Max said.

Peter glared at her and said sternly. "This is your last warning. Pull anymore stunts and you will not like the consequences."

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A few minutes later, Max was sitting in a conference room. Peter had told her to wait there on him, then he told her that there would be a guard posted just outside the door. Just to see if he was lying, Max had opened the door and saw a stern faced man standing there.

The door opened and Peter and Neal walked in.

"Bout time." Max said. "I was getting bored."

Both men sat down and Peter spoke. "You are in a lot of trouble."

"Nothing new."

"I have an offer for you, and I think you should take it. Give us Parks, and you can walk with probation."

"Who's Parks?"

"Max." Neal said. "If you don't give us something, then you will wind up in Juvenile Hall. And trust me; you do not want to go there."

"We know Parks has the plates and paper to make counterfeit money." Peter said. "Tell us where he is."

"And I get probation?" Max asked.

"Yes." Peter answered.

"Ok." Max sighed. Then is a serious voice she said. "Parks went to see this wizard guy, he lives at the end of a yellow brick road. I think he might have a dog with him. A lion, scarecrow, and tin man also. Oh, and some chick named Dorothy. But be careful, Dorothy bites and the dog has fleas."

"Fine, have it your way." Peter said. "Maxine Harris, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, then anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights?"

"Sure do." Max said.

"Why won't you just cooperate with us?' Neal asked. "I don't want to see you in trouble."

"I don't cooperate with suites, or with stool pigeons. I have heard of you, Caffery. I heard you were the best. But then you decided to switch sides when the heat got too much for you. Well I'm not as weak as you, I can handle the heat."

"People are getting killed." Neal said. "Can you handle that heat?"

"Yes." Max lied, hoping her voice was surer then she felt. She knew he was right, people were getting killed. She witnessed one getting killed. But she knew that if she rolled over on Parks, then he would turn on her Uncle. She knew she had to protect him, no matter what.

Before either man could respond, the door opened and Jones stuck his head in. "Hughes wants to see you too." He said. "Now."

"Thank about it for a moment." Peter said, as him and Neal stood.

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Peter and Neal saw Hughes standing just outside his office and walked over to him.

"You wanted to see us?" Peter asked.

"How's it coming with Maxine?"

"Not good." Peter sighed.

"We've got another dead agent, David Phelps."

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"He was shot. Phelps was working a case involving the robbery of a painting, his leads led him to Garret Harris."

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Max was sitting in the same chair in the conference room. The young girl was spinning the chair around, but the thoughts in her head were spinning around faster then she was. She knew what her Uncle was doing was very wrong, there were not many good reasons for killing someone. But he was her Uncle, and she loved him. He gave her a home and a safe place. She owed him.

The door opened and Peter came in, a grim expression on his face.

"Another FBI agent was just found murdered." Peter said. He decided to try the direct approach. "Agent Phelps, he was married and had three children."

"What does that have to do with me?" Max asked, her voice sounding a little shaky. He had said another agent, which meant that agent Phelps was not the first one that her Uncle killed.

"We know that your Uncle killed him."

"Then arrest him."

"We don't have enough evidence."

"That's your problem."

"Is that what you want me to tell his three kids!" Peter shouted. He didn't want to lose his temper with her, he knew that she had been through a lot.

"Tell them to grow up!" Max shouted, jumping to her feet and glaring at Peter. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "Tell them that life sucks, and that no one cares! Tell them that their old man died because he cared more about doing his job then he did about caring for his family!"

"Do you really believe that?" Peter asked

"Yes I do!" A few tears rolled down her cheeks. "All he had to do was walk away, just forget what he saw and heard. But he didn't, he had to play the hero."

"Phelps was a good man." Peter said, his voice soft. "He was a good agent."

"He was a fool."

"Why? Because he cared?"

"Yes."

"You care about people."

"No I don't." She said, as more tears came. She was thinking about watching Phelps dieing before her eyes, and about his children growing up without a Dad. She knew how hard it was to lose your Dad, she knew how much it hurt.

"You talked your Uncle out of killing Neal and myself. And I know why you put the fake snake in my house. You knew about Satch, you didn't want him to kill the snakes."

Max angrily wiped her tears away, she hated crying. It made her feel weak, and that made her mad.

"Why don't you just admit that your Uncle is behind everything?"

"Because he kept me from being sent to another bastard who wanted to rape me?" She screamed. "Or worse!"

"He took you in so he could have someone to help with the cons." Peter said sadly.

Max saw red, how dare this man say that? Even if she thought the same thing from time to time.

"Max, He is using you."

Max kicked him hard in the groin, and he doubled over in pain. As soon as he doubled over, Max opened the door and ran. She didn't know where she was going, she just ran.

After a few moments, she saw a utility closet and went inside the dark room. Max sunk to the floor and drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. She laid her forehead on her knees and cried.

She knew Peter was partially right, she knew her Uncle was using her. But he also loved her, he had too. Max didn't know how long she sat there, crying and trying to convince herself that her Uncle's love wasn't a con. She didn't notice when her eyelids started dropping, or when she fell asleep.

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"It's been an hour." Peter said, running a tired hand over his face. "Where the hell can she be?"

"I ordered a complete sweep of the building." Hughes said. "Every single room, no exceptions. We will find her."

"When we do." Neal said with a smirk. "You may want to wear a cup."

Peter glared at the younger man, but didn't say anything.

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Max woke up and it took her a moment to remember where she was and what had happened. She was still mad at Peter for what he had said. But she wasn't sure if she was mad because he lied about her uncle, or mad because he told the truth.

She knew her uncle was a con man, one of the best. And she knew that most of his cons involved her. But he did love her, he had too. And regardless of his reasons for taking her in, she owed him.

"You want to play hardball, Burke." She said, as she stood up. "Let's play." 

The young girl snuck out of the room and walked down the hall, ducking into a room when she heard someone coming. She crouched down low as a small group of people walked by, then she stood and surveyed the room. Smiling at what she saw. Several laptop computers were laying on a large table.

Max grabbed one, then went back to the utility closet and turned on the light.

"Now let's see what kind of chaos I can create." She smiled as she started typing. She knew she had to be careful, she figured they would be doing a room to room sweep of the building. So she had to stay alert and ahead of the searchers.

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Another four hours passed, and still the searching FBI agents could not find the missing girl. Peter was getting more and more aggravated by the minute, and so was Hughes.

"As soon as she's found." Hughes said. "She's going straight to Juvenile hall, let them deal with her."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Neal asked. "She….."

"This is the FBI headquarters." Hughes snapped. "Not a babysitting service."

Neal was about to respond, then he stopped and stared at the man walking over to them. Everyone in the room was staring at him. It wasn't every day that a clown walked through the FBI headquarters.

"Can we help you?" Hughes asked the man in the clown costume.

"I'm looking for a special little guy named Peter Burke." The clown said in a cheery voice. "I have a message for him."

"I'm Peter Burke." Peter sighed, he just knew that this was the work of Maxine.

"Oh." The clown said, surprised. "By any chance do you have a son?"

"No." Peter said. "The message you have is for me."

"Okay." The clown said, then he started singing. "Don't be sad, don't be mad, little man. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. I know you will get it right. Just keep looking, I'm sure you'll find me." Then the clown took the flower pinned to his costume off and aimed it at Peter, a cold stream of water hit the ticked off FBI agent in the face.

Everyone stared in shock, except Neal. He was laughing so hard, he had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling over.

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A few minutes later, Peter hung up his phone. Neal, Hughes, Jones, and Lauren were in the same room as he was.

"The clown was rented with my credit card." Peter said. "She paid extra to have him come so soon after the order being placed."

"This kid is a genius." Neal said.

Hughes cell phone rung and he answered it. "Hi, Honey." He said. "Can I call you back, I…" he stopped talking and listened for a moment. "I'll take care of it, don't worry. Love you too."

Hughes hung up and looked at Neal, his expression was sour. "That was my wife, she received a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The card read: Dearest Love, soon we will be together. We just have to wait until our plan unfolds. Love Neal Caffrey."

Neal's face went pale and he tried to talk, but it came out as a stutter.

"I know you didn't send them Caffrey." Hughes said.

The door to the room opened and a man walked in and addressed Hughes.

"Sir, we traced the laptop that the girl stole. She's in conference room number twelve."

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TBC


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